Wobbly awareness lap
A TASMANIAN is about to drive around Australia to raise money and review and rate tourist facilities on how accessible they are for people with disabilities.
Muscular Dystrophy Tasmania committee member Warren Leahy – who has a neuromuscular disorder – will soon take off on his Wobbly Boots big lap.
The accessibility awareness initiative for travellers with a disability will jointly raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy Tasmania through the virtual lap concept on the Wobbly Boots website
Mr Leahy has a rare neuromuscular disorder called Charcot Marie Tooth, which causes progressive muscle wasting and weakness.
It starts at the extremities of the body, the lower legs and hands, and works its way in on a slow, relentless and debilitating march damaging the nerve tissue that allows muscles to work properly. To date, there is no treatment or cure for CMT.
It will take Mr Leahy six months to complete his 25,000km trip after which he will put together an Australia wide accessibility database of
tourism and hospitality venues.
“There is currently no single place for travellers with disabilities to find out the accessibility information they need when travelling, particularly in regional Australia,” Mr Leahy said.
“So during the Wobbly Boots Big Lap we will be assembling a database of accessibility
information in each hospitality and tourism venture we encounter with the view of incorporating it into an app.
“Of course the database won’t be exhaustive, after all there’s only so much ground we can cover in six months, but once the app is developed we will open it up for all disabled travellers to add their
own experiences and ratings on individual venues.
“Over time disabled travellers will benefit from real world reviews and information from those that have been at a particular venue before them.
“There are approximately 4.4 million of us living with disability in Australia so it’s amazing a database like this
hasn’t been assembled before.”
The Wobbly Boots Big Lap starts in Hobart on May 23.
MDT is a volunteer-based organisation that is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of Tasmanian families affected by muscular dystrophy and allied neuromuscular disorders.